GARDEN GROVE, Calif. ― Students in the Garden Grove Unified School District may
benefit from free or reduced-price school meals if their families meet
eligibility requirements of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast
programs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency responsible
for federal student nutrition programs, establishes qualifying guidelines based
on household size and gross annual household income. Children in a household of
four, as an example, are eligible for free school meals if the annual household
income does not exceed $29,965. Students in the same-sized household would be
eligible for reduced-price meals if the annual income is between $29,966 and
$42,643.
Applications will be distributed to all students in
September, and additional forms will be available in school offices or online
from the GGUSD website at www.ggusd.us. From the district main page, select “Food Services” from
the “Departments” pull-down menu. Completed applications may be submitted at
any time during the year.
To apply for free or reduced-price meals, a signed
application must be returned to the school with the names of all household
members, the amount and source of income received by each household member, the
last four digits of the Social Security number of the adult household member
who signs the application or an indication that no Social Security number is
available. Eligibility for a foster child is based on the child’s monthly
personal-use income.
Children from households receiving food stamps or CalWORKs
benefits are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. An application needs
only to include the names of all eligible children, the food stamp or CalWORKs
case number, and signature of an adult household member.
The district will review applications to determine
eligibility. Parents may contact the district Food Services office at (714)
663-9155 with questions regarding the decision. The free and reduced-price meal
policy, available for review at all schools and the district food
services office, describes the appeal procedure.
The National School Lunch
Program is offered at all GGUSD schools; and the National School Breakfast
Program is available at 35 elementary schools, 10 intermediate schools, and
seven high schools.
